off with a visit to jordan where he will meet with king abdullah ii to discuss some of the same issues and the palestinian territories and before heading back to washington he'll visit those faming ruins in petra. >> a lot of people scratching their head on this one because there is no peace plan so what is there to accomplish? >> reporter: well, that's really the million dollar question. i was speaking within an aide to prime minister netanyahu last night who said i don't think you guys, meaning journalists, will have very many headlines in the next few days. this trip is really about symbolism. as you said, it's the president's first trip to israel and the palestinian territories since he was elected and the first time that he and prime minister netanyahu will meet since he was elected in the last few months. so it's really the symbolism. the white house called this a broad strategic conversation during which they will discuss iran, syria, the israeli/palestinian peace process. on those first two issues, they really are seeking some clarity over what to do if various scenarios arise. on the peace process, the white

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house has said from the get-go they're not coming here with any grand plan, any great new ideas and, frankly, there is not a lot of optimism among the three parties, the u.s., israel and the palestinians, that peace negotiators will be back at the table any time soon. >> alex, there have been reports and only reports of chemical weapons in syria. president obama has said that that is his red line. is this conflict overshadowing the visit? >> reporter: we have to be very careful when we talk about chemical weapons. when the white house talks about chemical weapons and red lines, what we believe them to mean are the very potent chemical weapons we know to be in their arsenal, vx, mustard and sarin gas. no indication those have been used and no confirmation that chemical weapons were actually used in these attacks yesterday by allegedly by the rebels and the regime. the white house has said there's no evidence. but despite that, this obviously raises the fears of their use of them falling into the wrong

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hands, so while the trip won't be overshadowed, it certainly highlights the need to discuss this while here in israel. >> all right. alex marquardt in jerusalem, the world will be watching. thank you for that. we also have some breaking news to tell you about from south korea. a possible cyberattack has paralyzed the computer networks of some major banks and broadcasters. >> the outages hit simultaneously boosting speculation that north korea may be to blame. the overnight shutdown came after the north accused the south of launching attacks on its websites. our team in south korea is tracking the breaking story. rescuers in new york finally freed a construction worker trapped chest deep in mud and debris for four hours. he had been working 75 feet below ground at a subway tunnel building site when he suddenly got stuck. it's unclear what caused this accident, but the site was soaked after two days of rain and snow. seven marines killed in a training accident remembered in a vigil last night not far from

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where they were killed. military investigators are trying to figure out why a mortar accidentally explode ed while still in its launching tube. abc's martha stewart reporradda its risks. >> reporter: it happened in darkness, deep in the nevada desert. some 150 marines on predeployment training for night warfare using weapons every bit as deadly as if it were the real thing. the marines were firing 60 millimeter mortars, small bombs placed into firing tubes that can launch over a mile. instead, the mortar exploded while still in the firing tube, and in a flash, those seven marines were dead and more than half a dozen more wounded including a navy corpsman. >> a team of investigators has begun the investigation to figure out just what happened. >> reporter: until they find out why, the marine corps will suspend the use of all 60 millimeter mortars and tubes worldwide. >> this would suggest that the

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marine corps has in its preliminary assessment that there was a problem with the bomb itself and it was not human error. >> reporter: just over a year ago, seven marines were killed in training when two helicopters collided near the arizona/california border, but ground training accidents are very rare. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. democratic leaders in the senate are bowing to political reality and pulling the assault weapons ban from gun control legislation. the ban had gained momentum since the newtown school massacre last year, but majority leader harry reid says there aren't enough votes to overcome the gop opposition and he says separating the ban from other measures increases its chances of passage. former south carolina governor mark sanford is on the verge of reviving his political career that collapsed over his extramarital affair. sanford has advanced to a runoff in the republican race for an open congressional seat. the democrats had a clear winner

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in the primary, elizabeth colbert busch who is the sister of comedian stephen colbert. all right, as we mark the ten years since the war in iraq began we learned of an incredible fact about the cost of war. the u.s. is still paying benefits from the civil war, the u.s. civil war. the payments are going to two children of civil war vet, one in tennessee, one in north carolina who get about $900 a month. the children would have been born when their fathers were in their 70s or 80s. unusual but possible. is that crazy or what? civil war benefits. >> that's pretty crazy. >> wow. moving on to the weather across the nation now. lingering snow in northern new england and snow around the great lakes and the upper midwest. heavy snow in the cascades and the rockies. rainy in the pacific northwest and northern rockies. showers from the carolina coast all the way down to florida. >> 82 degrees in miami. upper 60s from dallas to new orleans. teens and 20s in the upper midwest. phoenix, the hot spot getting to 86 degrees. and coming up, twinkies set to make a return to store shelves. all right.

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plus, getting personal. what a major pharmacy chain is asking of all their employees. a garage sale find that paid off in a very big way. we'll be right back.

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welcome back. cyprus is saying no. the island nation has rejected a european bailout plan that would have seized 10% from every person's bank account. now there are fears that it could set off a new european debt crisis. investors that go there hope there will be a last-minute deal so the stock markets have been wavering and waiting to see what happens in cyprus. here's distressing news for older workers. a poll finds that almost three

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in ten americans are pessimistic about ever being able to retire. s's the worst ever recorded. the study also indicates we are aware of our predicament but just aren't doing much about it. most people, oh, by the way, have put away less than $25,000 for their retirement years. the pharmacy chain cvs giving its employees an ultimatum. report your weight, body fat levels and blood pressure or you pay 50 amazing more for your health insurance. cvs says it's for their own good so they'll get a checkup and even pay for the test. privacy advocacy says it's a way to weed out health risks. twinkies may be back in stores this summer. a bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of hostess snack cakes to a pair of private investment firms. hostess stopped making twinkies, ding dongs and its other treats last november. the new owners also make pabst beer and invest in fast food chains hardy's and karl jr.'s. >> that's a perfect pair.

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how about two ways to turn a couple of dollar investments into a multimillion dollar payoff, the jackpot for tonight's powerball drawing now at least 260 million bucks. it is the biggest prize since the record-breaking 587 million won back in november. two ticket holders split that money. i think i'm going to play. all right. there is this bowl, check this out bought at $3 at a tag sale. it just sold at auction here in new york for more than $2 million. turns out it is a 1,000-year-old chinese ceramic. until now it had been sitting in the owner's living room. 3 bucks, 2 million. >> you play the lottery, i'm going to go sifting through my ceramic stuff. >> maybe. coming up next on this wednesday, who is keeping an eye on the sky are to us. nasa's plan for protecting us from meteors, we are live in washington. and an unforgettable game to begin the n.i.t. tournament. the reigning college champs go down. my dentist said that the acid in fruit or fruit juice

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softens the enamel so it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended pronamel. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. from the effects of acid erosion. whatever mountain you set outhere's new grape-nuts fit. from the cereal that helped the first man conquer everest. so just imagine where it could take you. grape-nuts original, and new delicious fit. what's your mountain? the storm that slammed the northeast left ice crashing to the ground from the new world trade center building in manhattan.

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the commuter train station below had to be shut down as chunks of ice fell from the skyscraper. luckily, no one was injured, but many commuters had to find another way home. all right, and that storm still menacing parts of northern new england this morning. some areas buried under a foot or more. it's still coming down too. after a series of accidents, speed limit was lowered on highways around portland, payne and drivers being urged to stay off the slick roads altogether. all right, and with that, a check of the roads. it will be a slick ride all the way down to western new york. slippery highways in the upper midwest. snowy mountain passes in the rockies and the cascades. a wet commute in the pacific northwest and northern california. rain also drenches roads across florida. if you're flying, airport delays possible in san francisco, miami and salt lake city. well, this morning there are new details about the massacre plot that was foiled on the campus of central florida university. >> police say the gunman planned to pull the fire alarm and start

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shooting as students rushed out of their dorms but the plot was stopped when his roommate called 911 and faced down the gunman. >> i didn't see what kind of rifle it was. i just instantly slammed the door in his face so he couldn't harm me or anything and as soon as i opened the door, he just like raised the rifle on me. that was the most -- best eye contact i ever had with him. he looked me dead in the eye and just raised the gun. >> not only was the gunman heavily armed, the police say there were boxes of ammunition and other supplies waiting for him at the campus post office. and nasa is now sounding the alarm about the dangers of incoming meteors. >> wow. the head of the space agency calling for a high-tech early warning system to protect the country but he says the government's not willing to pay for it. abc's devin dwyer joining us from washington with the latest on this one. good morning, devin. >> reporter: hey, good morning, john and diana. that's right. after that major meteor strike

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in russia last month, scientists want congress to take action so a similar disaster doesn't happen here. nasa chief charles bolden was on capitol hill yesterday. he said a small meteor that injured more than a thousand people in russia could have been detected, even deflected, if the right equipment was in place. he says the u.s. needs new outer space telescopes with infrared technology to track meteors because right now there's not much we can do. >> if you detected even a small one, like the one that they did in russia, headed for new york city in three weeks, what would we do? >> the answer to you is if it's coming in three weeks, pray. >> reporter: now, that meteor was only 55 feet long. experts say the chances of a major catastrophe from that is slim but are very real now. there are roughly 10,000 small meteors floating around within range of earth, all of those capable of destroying a major u.s. city. john and diana. >> whoa. scary stuff. all right. devin dwyer in washington for

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is this morning, thank you. the mayor of kansas city, missouri, must have felt like he had been hit by a meteor as he delivered the state of the city address. a man suddenly rushed the stage, shoves the mayor aside, grabs the microphone, and he managed to shout a bunch of obscenities before the police tackled him and escorted him out. and in ukraine lawmakers went after each other on the parliament floor. the fists were flying when a member of the ruling party delivered a speech in russian. that angered the opposing nationalist party that believes ukrainian should be the country's official language. wow. huh. and new york city mayor michael bloomberg has some new evidence on his side as he fights to ban large sugary drinks. new research shows that sugar-sweetened drinks may be linked to 180,000 deaths worldwide every year. most were diabetes related. others were from cardiovascular disease or even cancer. that study, by the way, only focused on adults.

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let's talk college hoops, the stunner of a loss for the defending national champions and powerhouse kentucky wildcats. they fell to robert morris university. what? robert morris university in the first round of the national invitational tournament. >> disappointing for the wildcats but, man, oh, man were the kids from robert morris excited. biggest win in the school's history. hundreds of students and fans there to celebrate. >> robert morris led almost the entire game and the wildcats came close and last-second three-point try. it didn't happen, and robert morris advances to the second round of the n.i.t. and the wildcats' season is over. >> the underdog wins again. >> i love those storybook endings. up next, a young man's prom plea and asked a "sports illustrated" model to the prom with this video, and overnight she responded. >> we'll be back. but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid

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approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you don't take before bedtime. take it in bed only when you need it and have at least four hours left for sleep. do not take intermezzo if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs containing zolpidem, such as ambien. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath or swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and may be fatal. intermezzo should not be taken if you have taken another sleep medicine at bedtime or in the middle of the night or drank alcohol that day. do not drive or operate machinery until at least 4 hours after taking intermezzo and you're fully awake. driving, eating, or engaging in other activities while not fully awake without remembering the event the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. alcohol or taking other medicines that make you sleepy may increase these risks. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur.

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intermezzo, like most sleep medicines, has some risk of dependency. common side effects are headache, nausea, and fatigue. so if you suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, ask your doctor about intermezzo and return to sleep again. ♪ and return to sleep again. start with the best. use only natural ingredients. make something original. genuine. real. so peel it open. stir it up. and raise a cup to the real.

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when i first got back from afghanistan i knew that i wanted to be involved in television and film. but i just didn't know how i was going get there so when abc news introduced the mentorship to me, i was thrilled. meeting tom hanks was for real and helped me realize when you're serving your country you tend to not think about civilians serving you. shows like "world news with diane sawyer" opened doors for me and my daughter, as well. this is my "world news" story. ♪ all righty, time to check "the pulse." these are stories we're going to be talking about all day long. if you ever feel like the internet just moves a little too fast for you, we have proof it does. >> some incredible numbers. one minute on the internet, 204 million e-mails are sent. wow. there are 1.3 million video views on youtube.

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6 million page views on facebook and 250,000 log-ins and there are 20 new victims of identity theft. that's a sobering stat. >> yikes. talk about stirring up a hornet's nest, the notorious hate group calling itself the westboro baptist church has a new colorful neighbor across the street from its headquarters. >> painted in the colors, a nonprofit group bought that property deliberately to counter westboro's hate message with its message that promotes acceptance called equality house where volunteers work on an anti-bullying initiative will stay. >> my favorite story. >> that is a good one. look at that house. pretty cool. love it. this may be a long shot but a kid in california has asked kate upton to the prom. we're sure kate was given lots of advice since the release of her latest "sports illustrated" cover. >> jake davidson mentions he has a curfew, the fact he can't dance and he's 5'9" on a good

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day but he does have some selling points, as well. >> now, kate, don't get me wrong, we have our commonalities. you like sports, i like sports, you like fine dining, i like fine dining. you're on the cover of "sports illustrated," i read "sports illustrated." >> at least they have a lot of things in common and he also calls himself optimus prime, oh, by the way. very nicely done. he asked if he could call her katie. it must have worked because kate tweeted this, you can call me katie if you want. how could i turn down that video? i'll check my schedule. uh-oh. smiley face. >> can you imagine? >> wow. dream come true for him, optimus prime. >> way to go, buddy. local news is next. >> for everyone else we're coming right back with the millionaire crossing guard with quite a story. i can get. i tell them, "come straight to the table." i say, "it's breakfast time, not playtime." "there's fruit, milk

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and i'm putting a little nutella on your whole-wheat toast." funny, that last part gets through. [ male announcer ] serving nutella is quick and easy. its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. okay, plates in the sink, grab your backpacks -- [ male announcer ] nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. it smells worse, and it can happen any time -- to anyone! like when i fell asleep at movie night with all my co-workers and i totally dream-snorted myself awake.

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i actually popped my head back so fast, i'm pretty sure i have whiplash. oh my go... [ female announcer ] stress sweat can happen to anyone, anytime, and it smells worse than ordinary sweat. get 4x the protection against stress sweat. introducing new secret clinical strength stress response scent. ♪ introducing new secret clinical strength stress response scent. are made with sweet cherries and the crisp, clean taste of our cranberries. i cannot tell a lie -- 'tis tasty. okay, george washington, did you take my truck out last night? 'tis tasty.

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good wednesday morning. it is 4:28. i am kristen sze. >> we got some of the rain overnight mike has been talking about. tell us more. >> we will show you more. live doppler 7 hd shows some good radar runs, with light to green which is sprinkles to light rain. we have a little bit of yellow showing up. that is more moderate rain in marin county. this is headed from the southwest to the northeast. that tells me the cold front hasn't come through yet. the showers you see developing to the north, still in the forecast today. we will find periods of rain throughout the day. sue? >> wet streets. here is proof, the golden gate bridge with the wind shield wipers needed. slippery roads so take extra caution. we have a situation in santa

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rosa with the ramp from northbound 101 to eastbound highway 12 closed right now because of an accident. emergency vehicles have that blocked for the next five or ten minutes and we will monitor that. an area of road work in south san francisco north 101 at airport boulevard, the lanes are closed, rather, coned off for half an hour or so. >> we have breaking news from the delta where we are getting reports of three homes on fire. the three-alarm fire is in contra costa county. the power company is turning off the power. so far, no one has been hurt. we will bring you more information throughout the morning as it becomes available. >> happening now, children and parents return to an east bay preschool re-opening after an incident where a teacher allegedly tied up a toddler who

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refused to nap. the investigation continues. abc7 news reporter, amy hollyfield, is live with the latest. amy? >> the school opens at 7:00 this morning. it has been closed since friday. the school shut down so the teacher could attend a state-wide early childhood education conference and a couple of other sessions because one of their former teachers, fellow teacher, was accused of taping a two-year old child at the wrists and the ankles because she refused to ache -- take a nap. the teacher took pictures of the little girl and showed the pictures to fellow teachers and the girl's mother who told authorities. the teacher no longer works at the school, resigning before this happened. the school held a meeting with parents. the police department launched an investigation. the state, also, looked into the

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matter. we have a statement released by the school: the staff has made adjustments to the program to better serve the children and their families. we look forward to welcome them on wednesday. they open at 7:00 this morning. police have conducted an investigation and concluded it. the information has been turned over to the district attorney who is deciding whether criminal charges should be filed. >> it is 4:31. an east bay assembly woman is introducing legislation by training teachers to spot and report child abuse. "contra costa times" reported the assembly woman says the legislation is needed to shore up gaps. last year a school principal was convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse. one of the bills requires